Blog: December 2018

The Immigration White Paper is finally with us, like the awkward last minute Christmas present from a distant relative rewrapped several times to make it look more appealing. The Paper is supposed to address public concerns and give businesses and services clarity about how they will be able to recruit for the skills they need. But what’s beneath the not-too-pristine wrapping and is it what we need or indeed even what we say we want?

Earnings growth continues to surprise to the upside. According to new ONS statistics published earlier this week, UK average weekly earnings (AWE) expanded by 3.3 per cent (excl. bonus) and 3.4 per cent (incl. bonus) in the three months to October compared to the year before.

Building on the official data, we think that earnings growth still has room to pick up further. Our econometric models suggest that UK earnings will continue to accelerate going into the New Year.